Almada () is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in Portugal, located on the southern margin of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to ...

, on the opposite side of the river from Lisbon. The two cities are connected by the 25 de Abril Bridge. The population in 2011 was 174,030,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 70.21 km². The urbanized center had a population of 101,500 in 2001.

History

Human presence in the area of Almada dates to the end of the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

period about 5000 years ago; archeological excavations performed in the municipality suggest that non-sedentary nomadic tribes may have occupied this location sporadically. The gradual development of settlement here made its greatest advance with the coming of Islamic civilization, when Muslims constructed a fort at Almada to defend and monitor the entrance to the

. Lying across the river from Lisbon, the area of Almada was a crossroads for a succession of various peoples who traded along the Tagus, including

Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their hist ...

, Romans and

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct o ...

. As one of the principal Arab military bases along the southern margin of the Tagus, Almada was conquered by the Christian forces of Afonso I with the aid of English

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

in 1147. Alongside these Christians there lived many free Moors and Jews, under the royal protection guaranteed them by Afonso I in the charter of 1170 (which applied to all the former Moorish strongholds at Lisbon, Almada, Palmela and Alcácer). Almada received a foral from King Sancho I in 1190, although it came at a price: Miramolim Jacub-Abu-Jassuf, son of the Moorish leader who had laid siege to Santarém in 1171, was angered by the Christian victories and gathered a large army. He boldly attacked in the north, conquering Alcácer do Sal and Silves, while forcing the residents of Almada, Palmela and other towns along the Tagus into hiding. It would be some time after the death of Sancho before this region would be restored to Portuguese control. When this event occurred with the success of the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Na ...

in driving the Muslims out, the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

, a donatorio of Almada after 28 October 1186, had an important role in the territory (especially between the Tagus and Sado Rivers). In this role, it facilitated the repopulation of acquired territories and was the beneficiary of the various local economies.

Geography

Although small in area, the city of Almada has a large population. It is bounded to the southeast by Seixal, to the south by Sesimbra, to the west by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

and to the north and northeast by the Tagus River. At Cacilhas, its main port, ferry boats transport visitors and local residents across to Lisbon daily, while the 25 de Abril Bridge, which spans the Tagus, is traversed by rail, commercial and personal vehicles daily. Almada is considered a transportation hub and a fast-growing suburb; its coast has several sandy beaches and panoramic vistas. Located in the district of Setúbal, the municipality includes two cities, Almada and Costa da Caparica, and is divided into five civil parishes: * Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal e Cacilhas * Caparica e Trafaria * Charneca de Caparica e Sobreda * Costa da Caparica *

Laranjeiro e Feijó Laranjeiro e Feijó is a civil parish in the municipality of Almada Almada () is a city and a municipality in Portugal, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River, on the opposite side of the river from Lisbon. The two cities are connected ...

International relations

Almada is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four ri ...

, Czech Republic * Porto Amboim, Angola * Regla, Cuba *

Sal Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

, Cape Verde

Transportation

The 25 de Abril Bridge links Lisbon and Almada, which are on opposite sides of the Tagus river. The municipality is served by a light-rail transit system, the Metro Transportes do Sul, linking it to the suburban rail system ( Fertagus) serving Greater Lisbon and the municipality of Seixal.

Sanctuary of Christ the King

Notable citizens

Public service

* Joan of Portugal (1439–1475) Queen of Castile as the second wife of King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...

. * Elvira Fortunato (born 1964) a Portuguese scientist, professor in the Materials Science Department at the NOVA

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; pt, Universidade de Lisboa, ) is a public research university in Lisbon, and the largest university in Portugal. It was founded in 2013, from the merger of two previous public universities located in Lisbon, t ...

* Diana Prata (born ca.1975) neuroscientist, head of the Biomedical Neuroscience at the

, brought up in Almada * Diogo Batáguas (born ca.1984) stand-up comedian and public figure, notable for his monthly YouTube program named "Relatório DB". *

Rita Ferreira Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...

(born ca.1993) nuclear medicine resident, notable for her love of sundae caramelo.

Arts

* Vitor Gonçalves (born 1963) a Portuguese theatre director *

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...

(formed 1970's) rock band formed in Almada *

Anabela Braz Pires Anabela Braz Pires (born 22 September 1976 in Almada) is a Portuguese singer and musical theatre actress, best known in Portugal by her first name, Anabela. Her career in music has spanned over decades, and she is well known for representing Port ...

(born 1976) known as ''Anabela'', singer and musical theatre actress. Anabela, IMDb Database
retrieved 21 June 2021. * Xutos & Pontapés, (Wiki PT) (formed 1978) a Portuguese

Rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

Sara Tavares Sara Alexandra Lima Tavares (born 1 February 1978) is a Portugal, Portuguese singer, composer, guitarist and percussionist. She was born and brought up in Lisbon, Portugal, where she still lives. Second-generation Portuguese of Cape Verdean d ...

(born 1978) a Portuguese singer, composer, guitarist and percussionist, family from Almada *

Pedro Barateiro Pedro Barateiro is a Portuguese artist. He was born in Almada (Portugal) in 1979 and lives and works in Lisbon. Barateiro studied at Maumaus in Lisbon and got the MFA in Malmö Art Academy in Malmö, Sweden. He was in residence at the Pavilion - ...

(born 1979) a Portuguese artist *

Patricia Ribeiro Patrícia Nogueira Ribeiro (born 11 October 1981), better known as Patrícia Ribeiro is a Portuguese transsexual singer, songwriter, model and dancer. She is contracted by DistriRecords label. She was the fourth person from her country to undergo ...

(born 1981) transsexual singer, songwriter, dancer and convicted extortionist. * Da Weasel (formed 1993) a Portuguese hip-hop band/rock band from Almada * Aenima (formed 1997) a Portuguese

dark wave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

, rock band * Ava Inferi (2005–2013) a Portuguese

Doom Metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Sport

* Alfredo Murça (1948–2007) a Portuguese international footballer with nearly 400 club caps * Rui Eugénio (born 1966) a Portuguese former footballer with over 400 club caps *

Luís Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one ...

(born 1972) known as ''Figo'', former footballer with 570 caps and 127 for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Telma Monteiro Telma Alexandra Pinto Monteiro ComM (born 27 December 1985) is a Portuguese judoka who has won multiple medals in international competitions, such as the European and World Championships. She is a two times winner of the Paris Grand Slam, in 2 ...

(born 1985), world champion

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

* Silvestre Varela (born 1985) a footballer with over 400 club caps and 27 for

Carlos Emanuel Soares Tavares Carlos Emanuel Soares Tavares (born 23 April 1985), known as Carlitos, is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a right or left back. Club career Born in Almada, Setúbal District, Carlitos played the vast majority of his career in ...

(born 1985) known as ''Carlitos'', a footballer with 350 club caps and 32 for

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

* Aylton Boa Morte (born 1993) a Portuguese footballer with over 350 club caps * Mónica Mendes (born 1993) a Portuguese footballer with 51 caps for Portugal women * Miguel Oliveira (born 1995) a Portuguese professional MotoGP Rider * Rafael Leão (born 1999) a Portuguese footballer

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

Almada MunicipalityAlmada Digital
{{Authority control Cities in Portugal Populated places in Setúbal District Municipalities of Setúbal District